demo day one

wow it's amazing what four guys, some sledgehammers and power tools can do in four hours.

The carport came down. One guy was delighted to find wood he could salvage for tabletops... old pine planks, some of them 16 feet long had been under roll asphault, so few nail holes.

Another guy took the four posts.

Then they took on the backroom. Tearing out the wallboard wasn't enough-there was still daylight, so they started in on the trim and siding...more salvaged planks from the sheathing, though many were too brittle to salvage. The back room is now a breezy porch... roof, floor and studs.

We loaded up the dumpster and shoveled up the little debris off the drive and enjoyed some chili.

I got pictures, but still don't have a way to load them. I had to get new batteries, again, today and now it's too dark for the update pictures. I had just put in new batteries, I hope my camera isn't going to die on me.

I should meet with John on monday or tuesday to go over the final plans and then the windows will be ordered and we wait.

Although it's going to be difficult to get my guys to wait... they want to take down the rest of the backroom and are itching to get at the chimney and shingles (no word on the test yet).

The fellow who got the salvage wood wanted to rebuild the carport himself. I consoled him with the prospect of building a 10 by 10 foot arbor next year, for a walk out from the new bedroom.

My dog Ben was a rescue, I've had him almost a year and he's improved a lot, but he was practically completely unsocialized to strangers, objects, noises. He was fine with the noise and strangers as long as he was outdoors where he could see me. I'll probably take him to work or to a friend's on work days when I am not there.

great news: the asbestos and lead test came back negative on my asphalt shingle siding. I can begin ripping it off. I'll start this evening, but I won't have much daylight. I think I can recruit another crew saturday or sunday to finish off the back room and the siding.

The chimney will have to wait till the windows arrive and the rebuilding begins, I don't relish having a 2 foot square hole in the roof at the foot of my bed for long.

Ben doesn't do well in a crate, it's likely he spent most of his first 21 months confined in one. Not a comforting place to be. When I take him to work he usually dozes on a chair next to my desk. He's well-behaved and quiet and only a disruption because he's so cute and stand-offish and has the most amazing huge ears, everyone wants to touch them. So when he's at work people stop by to try and coax him...good for his socialization, but disruptive to productivity. All the kids in the neighborhood vie to gain his trust too, which is terrific for him, but can make for often-interrupted walks.

He's what I call a butterfly hound, half papillon, half italian greyhound...so he's a tiny long-haired greyhound with enormous ears, though he most looks like a miniature border collie, being tri-colored. He's smart and very shy and wary, but curious. I've been doing dog agility with him for about five months, which has developed his confidence hugely-although it gave me a broken arm (dog, not human agility) and a titanium plate.

and you fortunate to have some good people ready to work on your project. that's so important and will save you time and money.

hope the batteries were just a batch of old ones and it isn't your camera. Mine died about a month ago and it's driving me nuts not to have one (working - I have about 3, just none working). I'm having a heck of a time finding one with the features I want that I can afford. or want to afford. I've lower my limit on it figuring if I drop it or lose it I don't want to be out that much money...

Sounds like you had a great demo day Ellen. So happy for you your siding is safe to remove with no problems. We also have a shy dog. She is just 7 years old now. She has gotten much better since we got a second dog. Hope he enjoys his day at the office.